title: Early changes in oxidative stress markers in a rat model of acute stress: effect of l-carnitine on the striatum.
abstract: This work focuses on the effect of acute stress on different markers of oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in the rat striatum. In addition, the effect of a single dose of l-carnitine (l-CAR, 300 mg/kg, i.p.) was evaluated in these animals. Immobilization (restraint) stress was induced to rats for 24 hr. The levels of lipid peroxidation (LP) and mitochondrial function (MF), as well as the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and content and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, were all measured in striatal samples of animals subjected to stress. Our results indicate that acute stress is able to increase the striatal LP and reduced the levels of MF, while significantly lowered the manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) activity. No changes were observed in the total striatal content of SOD, nor in GSH levels, but serum corticosterone content was increased by stress. l-CAR exhibited partial protective effects on the immobilized group, reducing the striatal LP and recovering the striatal MF and Mn-SOD activity. Our results suggest that acute restraint stress brings an accurate model for early pro-oxidant responses that can be targeted by broad-spectrum antioxidants like l-CAR.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Aminoácidos Excitadores, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, México City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Luis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Méndez-Cuesta
authors.forename: Berenice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Márquez-Valadez
authors.forename: Verónica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pérez-De la Cruz
authors.forename: Perla D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Maldonado
authors.forename: Ricardo A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Santana
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Escobar-Briones
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Galván-Arzate
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carrillo-Mora
authors.forename: Abel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santamaría
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D002331:Carnitine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000502:physiology; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012149:Restraint, Physical; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D002331:Carnitine; D003345:Corticosterone